The Value of Things Like Paperclips
by MoonStarDutchess
Summary: Roy overhears some girls talking about what a bad boyfriend he is for Riza and resolves to be the best one for her, not realizing that he already is the best. ROYAI Happy Birthday OTP!
1. New Everday Routines

**The Value of Things Like Paperclips**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Part One: New Everyday Routines **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fanfiction. **

**AN: This is a fic for my lovely friend OTP for her birthday. It started as an oneshot but hen more came and the oneshot just blended in with it. Then it expanded and now I don't have a clue how long it will actually be. The entire fic is done in first draft form with about 10000 words, then when I do rewrites and it gets longer because of added details and things. **

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**New Everyday Routines**

Brigadier General Roy Mustang stepped out of the shower, steam rising from his body thanks to the hot water. Grabbing a towel off the rack, he quickly dried off before wrapping and securing it around his waist. He grabbed another to dry his hair and walked over to stand in front of the sink. After rubbing his hair vigorously with the towel, he rested it on his shoulders and opened the medicine cabinet to grab his razor and shaving cream. He began to shave but paused when he saw the scar, haunting him there on his skin, reminding him of a past he would rather forget. He put down his razor, put some lotion on his scar, and covered it with his eyepatch before going back to shaving.

After all of his every day bathroom routines were done, he left the room. He smiled and stopped in the doorway to see something that had just become, "every day" in the past month. His girlfriend, Riza Hawkeye, was standing in front of a full-length mirror, in just her bra and uniform pants, unfolding one of the many dark brown shirts that she always wore with her uniform. If she looked up, she would see his half-naked reflection in the mirror, notifying her that he was there. Of course, it was very likely she'd already noticed he was there by the mere slapping of his bare feet against the cool morning floor. Her excellent hearing, along with her eyesight of course, was one of her more impeccable attributes.

He approached her as she began slipping her shirt over her head, and when she donned it fully, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the part of her neck not covered by fabric.

"Good morning," he said, "you weren't in bed when I got up."

After finishing the task of tucking her shirt into her pants, she looked up at the mirror. She smiled when she saw Roy's reflection. She moved her arms up to curve around his neck and turned her head up toward his. He moved his lips down to kiss her deeply, so deeply that he wanted to take her back to bed.

She pulled away. "Good morning to you too. I wasn't in bed because I made some breakfast and strong coffee. We are going to need it."

She turned back toward the mirror and began to tuck in her shirt a bit tighter, making herself more presentable. Roy tightened his embrace around her body and kissed her ear. "Is that so? You are becoming just like a good wife you know?"

When Riza was satisfied with how she looked, she turned in Roy's embrace and stared up at him, resting her arms on the arms around her waist. "And you are saying I wouldn't be a good wife if I didn't fix you breakfast?"

Roy shook his head. "I was just saying that you are becoming more domestic. Sort of like a stereotypical housewife."

"So, because a wife is stereotypically the one who fixes breakfast, that means you won't ever fix breakfast for me?" Her voice was obviously teasing him, baiting him for a response that would fit with her early morning humor.

"I would fix breakfast for you, but I don't want to kill you," he said, causing her to laugh aloud. "I'm a pretty bad cook Riza. I'd end up giving you food poisoning somehow."

"Have you gotten any better than the time you tried to make Maes and I breakfast in Ishbal."

"I haven't. Not at all."

"Then just leave the cooking to me."

"Done deal," he said. He gave her another quick kiss. "Let's go eat then."

Riza smirked at him mischievously and trailed her hand down to his towel. "You need to get dressed first," she said. She yanked the towel off him and then walked over to her dresser. "And I have to pin up my hair."

Roy smirked and made his way over to his closet to put on his uniform. Roy turned halfway toward her. "Riza will you hand me a pair of box-" He was cut off when a pair of his boxers hit him in the face. He grabbed them off his head and began putting them on. "Thanks," he said with an amused tone.

"No problem," Riza said, her reply very nonchalant. She picked up her brush and began running the soft bristles through her hair. After it was well brushed, she began to brush it back, gathering it in her hands at the back of her head. She twisted it upward and pinned it securely with her brown hairclip. The typical and plain thing she always did. Every time she fixed her hair, it crossed her mind to cut it in the bob she had when she was younger. Sometimes long hair was such an annoyance.

As she stared at her appearance reflected back at her, a small frown appeared on her face. When whatever made human beings was passing out looks, he or she really skimped out on her. She had a chubby face, thin hair, and odd colored and shaped eyes. She was definitely not one of the pictures of perfection that Roy used to date.

Roy walked up beside her, now fully dressed, and opened the drawer to remove a pair of his gloves.

"I guess this is as good as it gets," she said with a sigh.

Roy kissed her cheek. "Yes, the most beautiful woman in the world can't get any better," he said before walking out of the bedroom.

She stared after him, her face neutral for a moment before blossoming into a sweet, pleased smile. Roy always knew the right things to say when she was feeling down for whatever reason. What made his words even sweeter was that she knew he really thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

She grabbed her jacket and made her way into the kitchen where Roy was already sitting down two plates of food on the small table. She walked over to the percolator and poured them some coffee.

After sitting his cup beside him, she walked around the table and sat down. They ate in silence for the first few minutes of breakfast, the ticking clock hanging on the wall the only disturbance to the morning ambiance. Soon, that silence was broken when Roy heaved a large sigh. Riza lifted her head and looked at him with concern only to see what she labeled his "lazy face".

"I wish we could just take the day off," he said, then took a bite of his food, "I wish we could call in sick for once."

"You've said that every single morning since we started living together," Riza said then began eating once again.

"I would have said it before we started living together but I lived alone and I don't really relish talking to myself," he replied, opening the paper to the science and discovery section.

"Well," Riza laughed, "Even if we did take a day off one day, a day like today would be impossible to choose."

Roy kept his gaze on the paper and took a bite of eggs, "Why is that?" he asked with his mouth half full.

Riza looked up at him again, resisting the urge to tell him not to speak with food in his mouth, and smiled slimly. "I have evaluations today and you are one of the alchemists in charge of the alchemist recertification."

Roy's eyes widened and he looked over at her. "That is today?"

"You forgot?" Riza asked incredulously. "There are evaluations all this week."

Roy picked up his mug and held it up to his lips. "Yeah, I completely forgot," he said, then took a sip, savoring the hot, bitter liquid.

Riza shook her head, "It figures." Her voice wasn't angry or frustrated in the slightest; it was tinted with a bit of amused affection.

"Hey! Wait a minute! You didn't scold me for suggesting we take a day off," he said.

"Huh? Roy, that was at the beginning of our conversation. You are just now realizing that?"

Roy grinned. "That means that you would consider it right?"

"Consider what?" Riza asked, playing stupid. She stood and took her dishes over to the sink, then began washing them.

"That you would consider calling in to work. It wouldn't be all that weird for both of us to get the flu at the same time after all," he said.

"Are you done with breakfast?" she questioned.

"You are avoiding my question."

"Yes I am," she said honestly as she put up the dishes she just washed and dried.

Roy stood, grabbed his dishes, and walked toward her. Much to his disappointment, she moved to the kitchen door before he got a chance to stand beside her and tease her more. She turned to face him.

"I'm going to work. I have to get some things done in the office that I didn't do last night. See you at lunch," she said and left the room.

A few moments later, Roy heard the door shut. A large smile appeared on his face, and he laughed out into the silence of the kitchen. He knew Riza didn't have anything to do at the office that morning since they'd finished all the work the previous night. He'd be sure to call her on it to get her flustered again. Riza always left the room when he managed to get her in an awkward position or conversation. It was endearing and the way her face blushed slightly was quite cute. He didn't realize it was possible to get Riza that way until they started living together. It was one of those amazing discoveries that one uncovered when cohabitating.

When he finished the dishes and put them away, he retrieved his jacket from the bedroom and left their small apartment.

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As he expected, Riza wasn't anywhere to be found in the office. He knew that she was likely near the parade grounds, more specifically, at the shooting range where the marksmanship evaluations would take place. Everyone in the military knew Riza always kept up with her practice. He saw no reason she should have to put up with these evaluations every year. No one would complain if she were exempt. In fact, the evaluations as a whole were ridiculous. They were a hard, time-consuming way of checking up on soldiers. If the council would just enact a require practice regimen with logged times it would save a lot of money and time every year. But no, they had to do things their way, it was one of the bad things about the recent revamp of the government.

He left the office and made his way out of the building, waving off the salutes that various soldiers gave him as he passed by. The soldiers were already stressed about the various evaluations this week; there was no use for them to focus on saluting him as well. If he could rid them of one formality, no matter how temporary, he would do so.

He opened the back door to the range and walked down the long narrow hallway that led to the area he figured Riza would be residing. He started to turn the corner but stopped when he heard his name mentioned by one of the women.

"How is it living with Roy Mustang?

He was surprised over the question and now knew for sure that his hunch about Riza being there was right. Who else was living with him after all?

"Yeah, what's it like?" another woman inquired, her voice filled with curiosity.

Roy was a bit taken aback. He was just a normal guy and didn't realize what the difference living with him would be verses living with any other man. He wasn't really one to eavesdrop but he just could resist knowing what Riza was going to say. He grinned at the opportunity that fate presented him and began listening intently.

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**AN: Happy Birthday to my dear friend OTP. I luvs you. Hope you and everyone else enjoyed it. Part Two coming soon. **


	2. Roy’s Eavesdropping and Decision

**The Value of Things Like Paperclips**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Part Two: Roy's Eavesdropping and Decision **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fanfiction. **

**AN: Not my best writing in this chapter since I'm a bit rusty on writing fanfiction wise due to my short break. I hope you enjoy it regardless. **

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**Roy's Eavesdropping and Decision**

Riza looked around her at the other women, wondering exactly what they thought would be so interesting about her life with Roy. She decided to voice her curiosity. "Why are you so interested in my life with him?"

"He's a womanizer, well former womanizer, Roy Mustang. He can't be very pleasant to live with considering he was the most eligible man in Amestris up until you two got involved."

"That's the polite way of asking if he screwed up yet," Rebecca said. She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and looking extremely uninterested in the conversation.

"He hasn't, screwed up as you put it," Riza said, "He's just a bit less organized and messier than I am."

"So nothing outrageous? No arguments yet?" another woman questioned.

"You act as if arguments would be something new for us," Riza replied, a light bit of amusement evident in her voice.

"Riza, you aren't telling us anything interesting," Maria said.

Riza directed her gaze to her close friend. "God, not you too. There's nothing to tell. I never let you all know about my personal life before. What makes you think that it will change now that I live with General Mustang? If anything I'll have to be more secretive."

"I don't know why they want to hear about your lapse in judgment anyway," Rebecca said. Riza frowned and narrowed her eyes at her best friend.

"What do you mean lapse in judgment?" one of the women questioned before Riza could scold Rebecca.

"I'm sure when Riza's sanity returns one day, she'll leave him for a nice, handsome, wealthy man," Rebecca said, not really answering the woman's question directly.

Roy made a fist when she spoke those words. If she weren't a woman, he would have already punched her. Of course, to do that he'd have to reveal that he was there and that would piss off the women. The last thing he wanted was to gain the ire of a group of female, specially trained, officers. Obviously, it wouldn't be a good experience. He'd wait and get revenge by sending her so much paperwork she'd be dreaming about documents, fonts, and ink, for the rest of her life. Yes, being a general had benefits.

"Why would she leave him? General Mustang is still handsome!"

"Still?" Riza questioned, not knowing what the girl meant.

"Even though he has the eyepatch!"

"I think the eyepatch makes him better looking!"

"Riza might get mad at you saying that," Maria teased.

"Oh my!" She looked to Riza, "I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright," Riza said, "I don't mind hearing that you find him attractive. Anyone that has eyes can see that he is."

"Then how about you?"

Riza looked down at her gun and continued cleaning it. "How about me what?"

"Do you find him more attractive with or without the eyepatch?"

Riza stopped her hands in their movements and focused her eyes on the dark grey barrel of the gun. She had to admit, she found him to be very attractive with the eyepatch, and it seemed to add a bad boy, rugged look to him. The scar under it, the loss of his sight, and the events that caused the loss was what made her hate the large black patch. Most people who saw it, assumed that there was just a small scar underneath the fabric. In reality, the entire upper side from the eyebrow down to the end of the eyepatch was scarred and mangled. It was a close range shot, using reasoning it shouldn't be that surprising that his face was the way it was.

"Going on aesthetics alone," Riza began, trying to think of how to continue. Roy's ears perked up when he heard she was going to answer the question. "Aesthetics along I would say I like the sense of mystery that the eyepatch brings to him. I have to admit though, I miss staring into both of his eyes sometimes. Really, it doesn't matter to me. He means more to me than what he looks like."

"Okay then, moving away from looks. What is the cutest thing he's ever done for you?" Maria questioned.

"God, you don't have questions too," Rebecca groaned.

"Of course I do."

Riza sighed. While she didn't really want to answer the inquiries, she realized that most of the women had wanted Roy, Maria and Rebecca being the exceptions, and she had gotten him. What harm did it do to answer a few questions to sate their curiosity, even if those questions annoyed her? If they asked about the sex, then she would put her foot down. The cutest thing he ever did for her wasn't a bad question, but there was a problem. She didn't know anything he'd done that would possibly fit in the category of cuteness.

"The cutest thing? Nothing really comes to mind. I mean he does cute things but I can't single one out."

Roy smiled at that answer but it wasn't really up to the standards the women had expected.

"Well, that's no fun," Maria said.

"Okay, how about moving to material things. What's the best thing he ever bought you?"

Riza thought for a moment then shook her head. "I can't think of anything that he's ever bought me."

"WHAT?" all the women, including Rebecca, exclaimed.

"You mean he's never bought you anything?"

"Not that I can remember," Riza said.

"Surely he has! Valentine's Day! Surely he's gotten you stuff on the big V day!"

"We just started dating this year, a bit after Valentine's Day," Riza said.

"Well you've known each other for years, how about Christmas, or your birthday?"

"No, not that I can recall. It doesn't matter though."

"Why haven't you mentioned it to him?"

Riza sighed and finished cleaning her rifle. "Because it doesn't matter to me." She picked up her cleaning kit and smiled softly at the women. "I hope I answered enough questions to last you a while. Now, I have to get to the other range to get my sniper rifle ready. Good luck with your evaluations."

Roy's eyes widened as he heard footsteps coming toward him. He ducked into a closet to hide from Riza. When he was sure she was gone, he emerged from his hiding spot. He leaned up against the wall and lifted his hand to his chin, thinking about what she'd spoken. Was it really true that he'd never bought Riza anything? He ran through the list of gifts he bought in the past that he stored in his brain so that he wouldn't repeat any of them. His mother's name came up, and his sisters, and his birth father, but no matter how far he dug in his mind, he didn't see Riza's name anywhere. He was never around her during Christmas and, pathetically, shamefully, he didn't know when her birthday was. Through the years, he never thought about Valentine's Day and, as usual, Riza never let it be known that his forgetfulness affected her. If it did.

"Poor Riza," one of the women said. "That makes me so mad! All the stuff he put her through and he's never even gotten her anything."

"You have to understand what Riza is like," Rebecca said. "She doesn't really place much value on material things. Still… Roy Mustang is such a jerk!" Roy cringed when he heard Rebecca's caustic tone.

"How could he never buy her anything?"

"I know! Roy Mustang is loaded. Would it have hurt him to buy her a piece of jewelry or flowers, or even just a card! He never even bought her anything on her birthday or Christmas. Maybe he's not the good boyfriend we all thought he'd be."

"I object to that!" Rebecca said.

Roy's eyes widened when he heard Rebecca defend him.

"I never once thought he was a good boyfriend. This just proves it," she said. This time Roy nearly fell over due to the stupid thought that Rebecca would possibly say anything positive about him.

"I bet deep inside Riza really does hurt over the fact he's never thought much of her, especially on holidays. We all know how much she loves him."

When all the women agreed Roy knew it was time to leave, otherwise he'd sink into an even deeper pit of despair. He shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly walked away from the chatting women before he heard another word. He left the range and made his way toward the parade grounds.

Was he really a horrible boyfriend just for not buying Riza's something? He thought about the typical boyfriend's that he saw around when he walked down the street. He remembered the men he often saw buying gifts for their girls, whether it be flowers, candy, or jewelry. Hell, even the gay men he saw bought things for each other. He heaved a huge sigh. Not only was he a bad boyfriend, he was a bad friend to not have given her anything even on Christmas and for not knowing her birthday.

He cursed under his breath as he made his way to where General Grumman was standing. Roy sat down in the chair beside him and continued with his thoughts until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the older man who wore a slight smile on his lips.

"Didn't hear you arrive Mustang," Grumman said then removed his hand from Roy's shoulder.

"Um…yeah, I didn't say anything," Roy said, his words not making much sense because half of his mind was still focused on the plague that had spread over it.

"What's troubling you?" Grumman asked, sensing the man was distraught.

"Huh?" Mustang questioned.

"I asked what was troubling you."

"Oh, nothing, nothing is wrong at all," Mustang lied.

"I've known you for years my boy. Don't try to fool an old man. I can tell when something serious is on your mind."

Roy thought for a moment about whether or not to tell Grumman what was going on. He didn't have to come out and say exactly what the issue was. He could disguise it a bit. "Can I ask you a question without you inquiring as to why I'm asking?" Mustang mentally kicked himself at the strange words that left his mouth.

"Of course," Grumman replied with no indication that he found Roy's words strange, "ask away."

"When Riza's grandmother was alive, did you ever buy her any gifts?"

Grumman quirked an eyebrow at Roy then laughed. "Of course I did, though she usually insisted that I shouldn't. She didn't place much value in gifts but I bought them anyway. I could tell that she enjoyed it, especially when I surprised her with one." Grumman smiled softly at the remembrance of his late wife.

Roy slumped slightly and his face dropped. "I see," he said, then heaved a sigh. "Thanks."

Grumman hummed and folded his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair as he did so. "So, how are you and my granddaughter doing? No trouble I hope."

Roy sat straight and turned to look at the old man. "We are doing really well. Amazing actually," Roy answered. It was the truth after all. As expected, their relationship was almost perfect. The main issues were his lame attempt at being a good man for Riza. "We are thinking about getting a bigger place," Roy said, not sure why he brought that up.

"A house?" Grumman questioned.

"Um…not that serious yet," Roy said nervously.

"That's a pity. There's a beautiful house down the street from my home that just went up for sale."

"Sorry," Roy said, still nervous.

"Not a problem my boy, take your time. I'm not getting any younger and would like to see my great grandchild before I join my late wife. But no hurry you understand."

Roy's eyes widened. Grumman certainly didn't throw any punches. "Um… I'll keep that in mind."

Grumman stood and stretched slightly, his back popping in response. "That's good to hear." He motioned his head forward. "Looks like the alchemists are going to have their evaluations first. I'll leave you to it," he started to walk off but then stopped.

"Roy," he said.

Roy was surprised the old man used his first name but didn't show it. "Yes, Sir?"

"There's usually a simple, obvious solution for problems regarding relationships. We men are just too dense to look at the easy ones. I'm sure you'll think of what you need to do." He then walked off, leaving Roy to his thoughts.

Roy looked confused for a moment then stood and chuckled. Grumman was truly an amazing man and he would take his advice. So, discarding all the difficult things he was thinking about he got to the basics. What was the simplest, most obvious solution to the fact he never got Riza anything? Suddenly, it hit him like a brick and he felt incredibly dumb for not thinking of it sooner. Turned out, as always, Grumman was right. It was simple. He'd go out and buy Riza the best present that he could find. One that would make up for everything he'd forgotten. He'd also look in her personal file to find out when her birthday was.

Roy stuck his hands in his pockets and made his way to the alchemists that arrived for the evaluation, his mood turning to one of happy determination. He would make sure he was the best boyfriend Riza could possibly have. And that would begin with finding the perfect gift.

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**AN: The stuff in this chapter is loosely inspired by true events. My boyfriend once said what Grumman told Roy. He said men liked to over think on the simple things but tend to under think on the more important events. What do you think? Is Roy going in the right direction in his idea? Thanks for reading this chapter and please drop a review. They are very much appreciated. **


	3. Gifts Are Difficult to Come By

**The Value of Things Like Paperclips **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Part 3: Gifts Are Difficult to Come By**

**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership whatsoever of Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no monetary profit from this fanfiction. I do own my plot so if I catch anyone copying it, regardless of fandom, I won't be a happy MSD. **

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**Gifts Are Difficult to Come By**

Roy was thrilled when the alchemy evaluations were over. The men that he had to judge were all extremely skilled alchemists so his decisions whether to keep them instated were very simple and obvious. They would do be very good for the country.

He walked back to the office in a relaxed mood. He walked into the room and relief washed over him when he saw that his desk was void of any kind of documents. The oak wood was a lovely sight.

He directed his gaze over to Riza's desk, where she was currently sitting, working diligently on her paperwork. Even though she didn't look up from her work, he knew she'd heard him come in. Without glancing up at him she spoke, "Don't get your hopes up. The paperwork office just doesn't have your work organized yet. Evaluations are slowing everything down. They will have it after lunch."

Roy slumped and a deep frown weighed down his lips. He vaguely wondered how she always knew what he was thinking but disappointment was the dominate emotion taking over him, "I should have known that I couldn't be that lucky."

She looked up at him and withheld a laugh at the dramatic expression he'd taken upon his face.

"It's not that bad," she said, "You always act like paperwork is the end of the world. A few signatures and a bit of reading. You can finish off a 1000 page alchemy book in two hours, so you should be able to finish paperwork quickly."

Roy walked over and sat down at his desk. He propped up an elbow on it and rested his cheek against his hand. "Alchemy is actually interesting though."

"Paperwork could be interesting as well," she said.

Roy sat up straight and glanced at her disbelievingly. He couldn't believe that such a stupid comment came from his girlfriend.

Riza laughed awkwardly, "Forget I said that."

"Oh, I will," he said.

"But not everything you do has to be interesting. Paperwork is one of those necessary evils. Like PMS."

"I've not experienced PMS."

Riza sighed heavily, "You know what I meant, Sir."

"Well if PMS is anything like the deadening and verbose, paperwork we get, I feel sorry for womankind and I take back everything bad I've said about a woman during her period."

Riza nodded. "It's worse than paperwork." Roy cringed and Riza laughed aloud. She stood and grabbed her coat off the back of her chair. "You want to go to lunch now?"

Roy looked at the clock to see that it was noon. "Hey, wait a minute," he said, "You are done with your evaluations?"

"I've been sitting here talking to you for the past ten minutes and you've just realized that?"

"But didn't they start at ten? They go in alphabetical order so you should still be there," he said.

"Um…well…" she stammered, not sure how to explain the situation regarding her evaluations.

Roy's lip quirked up at her, he loved seeing Riza flustered. It was such a rare occurrence. "Let me guess. General Carotene signed your papers and let you go, right?"

Riza nodded. "I mean, I was going to protest but the other men and women there insisted I just leave. I was a bit afraid that they'd consider it favoritism but they didn't."

Roy huffed, "Everyone in headquarters knows you don't need to do those stupid things. No one would ever consider it favoritism. Especially considering General Carotene is such a grouch and wouldn't show any such thing no matter who the person was."

Riza didn't voice a response toward his comment but she couldn't keep herself from feeling a surge of pride from Roy's words. She worked hard to keep her skills at their best and it was good to hear that people recognized that, especially Roy.

She slipped on her coat and smiled. "He's not that much of a grouch."

Roy stood, "Riza! He treated that boy scout troop that came here like they were Special Forces!"

"He just wanted to prepare them."

"For what? It was a camping trip, not an undercover mission! I doubt undercover work is necessary in the boy scouts."

"Okay, he was a bit hard on them, but I bet they won the Boy Scout troop competitions last year."

Roy laughed. "Yeah, they took out the other troops with good old fashioned wholesome violence."

"Stop being silly," she said, and walked over to the door. "Let's go to lunch."

Roy walked over to her, "Alri…" he trailed off when he remembered something very important that he had to do during his lunch break. He hated to miss the lunch date with Riza, something that had become habit even before they started dating, but when he got back to the office with a great gift, it would be worth it. "I just remembered that I have something to do, so I can't go."

"What? What do you have to do?" Usually she wasn't curious about Roy's tasks and just took his word on what he needed done, but the tone of voice that he used was odd, carrying a hint of nervousness within its lilt.

"It's nothing you should worry about. Just go on and get a bite to eat," he said.

Riza took a step closer to him and stared into his eye. After a long pause, making him a bit nervous, she spoke, "You aren't cheating on me are you?" Her voice was stern and steady, giving the illusion that she actually considered that a possibility.

"No!" he yelled. "I wouldn't do that!"

Riza grinned. "I know that," she said, and kissed his cheek. "I'll have lunch with Rebecca. Take care of what you need to do."

Roy's bottom lip jutted out slightly, "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry," she said, "I'll see you in an hour then." She started to open the door when Roy grabbed her. He looked around the room, as if looking for someone that may have been watching. Then he kissed her deeply.

"Have a good lunch," Riza said breathlessly when they pulled away.

"You too," he replied and smiled at her, taking in her flushed cheeks.

They both left the office. Riza made her way down the hallway toward where Rebecca worked, while Roy left headquarters.

--

Roy stopped on the sidewalk and grinned when he arrived in the shopping district, as if he had achieved a great goal. He was extremely hopeful that he would be able to find the perfect gift for Riza within the time his lunch break allotted. That would show those women and Riza exactly how much he loved her.

His eyes trailed along both sides of the street, taking in all the various types of shops with their signs displaying sales or new items available. He rarely did any shopping in that district, instead favoring the smaller necessity only shops near his home.

The streets were crowded with people, mostly housewives and maids with the occasional loving couple mixed in with the lot. Everyone was chatting, smiling, and going about their day as if everything was right in the world. Roy couldn't help but carry a bit of bitterness toward them. It was likely that every one of them took their peace for granted.

He heard a familiar voice and looked to the left. Havoc was standing at the flower shop buying a red rose. After handing the shopkeeper a bit of money and taking the rose, he walked over to. . . Rebecca? Holy mother of…Havoc and Rebecca were together? He nearly fell over when Rebecca kissed him on the lips, and they walked toward a small café, their arms intertwined. Riza entered his mind and he hoped she found someone to have lunch with her. Then again, Riza wasn't the type to stress over eating lunch alone. He knew that she didn't mind her solitude. To make up for it, he would take her out to dinner that evening if they didn't have to stay late for work.

For a moment, he wondered if she knew about Havoc and Rebecca going out. If not, it would be quite enjoyable telling her about it. He suddenly shook the thought from his head and got back to business. This was no time to think about Havoc and Rebecca's love life when he had his own to focus on. Once again, he looked at all the stores and his gaze finally rested on a jewelry shop. The signs on the window were displaying beautiful pieces: necklaces, rings, bracelets, and other trinkets that were perfect for any discernment.

He crossed the street and made his way to the doorway of the shop. It was the most logical place to start since all women loved jewelry. He placed one foot upon the doorstep but frozen in his tracks when a problem came to him. Riza wasn't like any other woman he knew. In fact, in most things regarding the other women he dated, she was the complete opposite. Since those women loved little trinkets like necklaces and bracelets, it was only logical that she wouldn't care for such things. He stepped away from the jewelry store and stuck his hands into his pockets. Jewelry was definitely out until it was time to get her an engagement ring.

He began walking down the street, looking at each shop and using his mental reasoning to determine whether it would contain anything that would be of interest to Riza. He managed to weed through every one of them in one way or another, leaving him with only a tuxedo shop and a bookstore. Any idiot would rule out a tuxedo as a gift for the woman he loved but …books. Riza loved to read; she loved books! It was perfect.

He walked inside the small bookstore, the smell of both new and old books hitting his senses as he entered. He recognized the smell of the ink the new books were printed with, and the very familiar smell of the musty pages of old volumes of tomes. Stacks upon stacks of books surrounded him the deeper he ventured into the shop. He read the signs of the various categories, none present that he thought Riza would like. He passed the new alchemy books and scoffed at the ridiculous topics that would never, and could never, be proven. He noticed as he walked toward the back, the books went from being organized into neat rows and well dusted, to being tossed haphazardly on the shelves and covered with layers of dust with not so much as a fingerprint interrupting its blanketing.

He began looking through the older books for anything he thought Riza would enjoy. He saw a section of older alchemy books, many of which he already owned, and instantly vetoed any purchase of those for her. Riza had no interest in alchemy whatsoever, even going as far as saying it nearly bored her to tears. He walked over to a table scattered with dozens of old books on how to bake, broil, and fry various foods. Cookbooks of course were out of the question. What kind of man would buy the woman he loved a cookbook as an expression of his love. This gift had to be amazing, and . . . and … and he wasn't going to find it in a bookshop.

Roy turned and walked back toward the front of the store, vaguely noting that he hadn't run into any employees during his brief look around. He opened the door, the tiny bell ringing above it as he exited.

He squint his eyes as the bright rays of sun hit them. Even the short time in the dim light at the back of the shop had affected his eyesight. He shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking down the street, muttering various obscenities as he trekked upon the sidewalk. People quickly moved out of his way, looking at him oddly, as he passed by, Roy paying no attention to them. He didn't care what they thought; he only cared about his failure to get a gift for Riza.

He began listing places he could go to continue his hunt and the Xingese market popped in his head. Surely, it would be the perfect place to find something. They had plenty of unique and elegant gifts.

When he raised his hand to hail a taxi the huge clock tower's thunderous chiming bell rang out into the air once, echoing throughout the city, telling everyone the time. Roy's eyes widened. Lunch break was over and he didn't have time to go to the Xingese marketplace.

He turned in the direction of headquarters and rushed back to the office, knowing Riza would likely be angry if he wasn't back at the proper time. Just because he was the commanding officer, didn't mean he wanted to anger Riza. Her anger wasn't only bad for his work life, but also for his personal and sex life. As he ran, he dodged the people walking to and from the market, children playing marbles where they shouldn't be, and he leaped across the puddles left behind by the previous day's downpour.

He jogged up the steps of the main headquarters building, then opened the door and entered the lobby. He slowed down to a walking pace so that he wouldn't make a scene in front of the officers in the halls. He made his way to the stairway and then rushed up them, knowing they were likely void of people thanks to the preference for the elevator.

When he finally made it to the door to his office, he stopped and tried to catch his breath, extremely thankful he was in such good physical shape to be able to run the way he had. He lifted his hand up to straighten his collar and took several deep breaths, trying to steady his heartbeat and get more oxygen into his lungs.

"Sir, is there something wrong?" He heard Riza question from behind him, causing him to jump and turn around.

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	4. The Value of Paperclips

**The Value of Things Like Paperclips**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Part 4: Value of Paperclips **

**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership whatsoever of Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no monetary profit from this fanfiction. I do own my plot so if I catch anyone copying it, regardless of fandom, I won't be a happy MSD and will take action. **

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**Value of Paperclips**

Roy definitely hadn't expected Riza to be behind him instead of in the office, and the surprise showed through on his face. "Ri…Hawkeye! You are supposed to be in the office."

Riza raised her right eyebrow, the left automatically furrowing due to the action. "I am?"

"Yes," he said, as if it were a fact of life that anytime after lunch she should have been in the office.

"Well, as you can see I'm not," she stated factually, amusement sewed into her tone. She lifted the stack of papers in her arms a few inches, "I had to go get these for you after all."

Roy wrinkled his nose and rested his hand on the large stack of paperwork. Putting his thumb at the corner, he flipped them up and let them go, the corners making a noise similar to a deck of cards being shuffled. "Damn, I'll be here till late in the night."

"Not if you hurry and get started," she said, walking past him and into the office.

Roy's body slumped. His day couldn't possibly get any worse. He walked sluggishly into the room and over to his desk. His chair squeaked slightly as he pulled it out and creaked as he sat down in it.

Riza pulled up a chair and sat down beside him. He looked at her oddly as she began sorting through the papers, putting them in various stacks at different places on his desk. "It usually goes faster if we do it like this," she said, not looking up at him. She knew he was questioning her actions in his mind since they usually only worked like this when it was late.

Roy nodded and directed his gaze down to a form that she sat in front of him.

"Date and sign it. It's just a simple weapons form," she said, still not looking up from her task.

Roy grabbed a pen and did as she said. It was standard that she always sat out the weapon forms first because they were the easiest and they were what she knew most about. She'd leave the sheets that required mathematical calculations to him (math had always been the bane of her existence).

The more that she organized the work, the higher he stepped up on the proverbial ladder of guilt at his inability to buy her anything during his market excursion. Her entire life she'd been doing things for other people. Ever since they met she'd put her focus on him. She entered the military because of him, saved his life numerous times in Ishbal, guarded him for all these years, and helped him with his paperwork (something she wasn't required to do). The most important thing she did was love him unconditionally, no matter how much or how many times he screwed things up. Even after all she did for him, he couldn't get a simple gift to show her how much he loved her. He'd never felt more pathetic in his life.

Roy slumped down in his chair and continued to work on what she put in front of him. He only paid half attention to what he was signing, ever confident that she wouldn't put a paper in front of him that was ill. After he finished a pile, she would take it, replace it with another, and leave the room. She would then return with even more work, much to his annoyance.

This continued in an incessant cycle for two more hours, causing Roy to grow tired of the constant attack of forms. He was on his sixth stack of work when his stomach emitted a growl so loud it sounded like it echoed through the office. Riza looked up from the stack of paperwork she was toiling over.

"You hungry already?"

"Already? I haven't eaten anything since breakfast," he replied.

Riza was surprised, "What? Why? Didn't you eat anything for lunch?"

"No, I told you I was busy doing something else. If I hadn't been, I would have eaten with you." His stomach rumbled once again, this time louder, as if they hadn't heard it the first time and it wanted attention.

Riza stood, walked over to her desk, and opened up a drawer. Removing a large box, she walked over and sat it beside Roy. "I was going to do this but looks like you will have to." Removing the lid, she revealed a bunch of multicolored paperclips. "I'll go get you some lunch while you clip all these piles of work together."

"You'd do that?"

"Yes, of course," she said, a small smile making its way onto her lips. "Please get these together. It will save me time when I get back."

"You got it. I might even get the rest of them filled out too," he said, a grin spreading across his lips.

"That would be a plus," she teased and walked over to the door. She turned to face him. "What do you want?"

"Surprise me," he said.

"All right then." Riza was unfazed by his response. She left the room and shut the door behind her. Roy let his head fall to his desk as soon as her footfalls faded from his hearing ability. She really was too perfect.

He closed his eyes and relaxed but as soon as he felt sleep tugging at him from all the corners of his subconscious, he sat up quickly, cringing as his neck popped with the sudden force. He wouldn't slack off and would have everything done by the time she got back from the mess hall, or wherever it was that she was going.

He picked up the pen and began working on the paperwork in front of him. When he finally finished he clipped it together with a red paperclip. He stood and began clipping the other piles together with the tiny wire instruments, paying no mind to the colors of the ones he was using. That all changed when he pulled out a blue one.

Roy lifted it to eye level, and took in the shape and shade of the tiny clip. He actually found it fascinating how something so simple was used so much in daily office life. His gaze drifted down to the box and he chuckled when he saw that the cool color was the majority among all the other colors: a testament to Riza rarely using the blue ones. Roy sat back down in his seat, not taking his eyes off the box as his mind drifted back to when he found out one of Riza's most unusual quirks: her love of blue paperclips.

When they were children, she would make the huge paperclip chains that would often annoy her father to the point he shouted at her. He would always absently pull one out from his container on his desk, only to have a huge chain follow. Then, it would usually get caught on something, and inevitably knock the entire container to the floor, scattering clips everywhere. It was very amusing to him and Riza, but his teacher wasn't so easily disported.

The chain was always made from the blue ones so her father soon learned to pay close attention to the color he used and, amusingly, gave Riza all the blue paperclips he had so that she wouldn't cause him to scatter them all over the floor.

He picked up another blue paperclip, attached it to the one in his hand, and chuckled again. Then he added another, then another, then another until he had a large line going. Then he attached them together and laughed at the blue paperclip…necklace. He grinned and made another, smaller loop of paperclips. He'd give them to Riza to get a reaction, maybe even a smile, out of her.

Suddenly, an amusing idea came to him. He grabbed a sheet of paper and laid it flat on his desk. Reaching for the pen that was currently behind his ear, he began drawing a transmutation circle on the paper. He sorted out all the paperclips into piles and then rested the blue ones on the circle he drew. He placed his hands on the sheet of paper and…

"What the hell are you doing?" Riza questioned, interrupting his concentration. She was truly bewildered by over the various piles of paperclips organized along his desk and even more so by the largest pile of her beloved blue ones sitting on a sheet of paper in the middle of said desk.

Roy looked up at her and a smirked came to his lips, "Come and watch," he said, not the least disturbed that she saw him doing something most people would find weird. He was certain, of course, that she found it weird as well.

Riza walked further into the room and over to the table beside him to sit down the large tray she was carrying. She moved back to the door to shut and lock it before going over to stand in front of his desk.

Roy grabbed a finger sandwich from the tray and shoved it in his mouth at the exact time she spoke.

"What are you going to do with those paperclips?"

Roy, still chewing the sandwich, lifted the paperclip necklace he made, leaned forward, and put it over Riza's head. She reached down to lift the chain up slightly and stared at it, bewildered over Roy's actions but not letting him know it. Once again, he startled her when he grabbed her wrist and placed a smaller paperclip chain over it.

"Are you okay?" she questioned, leaning forward and placing a hand on his forehead. She looked into his eyes as she did so, as if she was searching to see if his sanity had escaped him.

He moved away, swallowed his food, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Now, stand back a bit."

Riza took a step back and folded her arms as she watched him place his hands back on the paper with the stack of paperclips upon it.

He concentrated on the circle and the transmutation symbol under the clips radiated a brilliant red, it flashed and a poof of grey smoke came about, covering the circle and paper. When it dissipated, all that was left was a blank sheet of paper and a giant blue paperclip, about a foot in length and three inches across.

"What the..." Riza trailed off, not sure what to speak after the initial two words that came out of her. She'd never seen such a big paperclip. Why in the hell did he make something like that? Better yet, how did he think about doing such a thing?

Roy picked it up the clip and handed it to her. "A giant one is easier to keep than a bunch of little ones."

She took it from him and then examined it, flipping it repeatedly in her hand. Finally, she looked up at him. "What am I going to use a paperclip this big for?"

"You never use the blue paperclips anyway and you know it," Roy said. He picked up the paper he drew the circle on and threw it in the trash. He popped another small sandwich in his mouth and began gathering all the other colored paperclips and putting them back in the box. He then stacked all the clipped paperwork together before getting the tray Riza brought in and sitting it on his desk. He sat down and began eating, waiting for Riza to respond somehow to his ridiculous actions regarding the paperclips.

She moved around the desk and sat down beside him. Her eyes directed down at the paperclip again and then back up to him. He took another bite of his food; she laughed, and then moved to kiss him on the cheek.

He turned to her while chewing the food in his mouth, and tilted his head to the right, wordlessly questioning the reason for the kiss.

"Today, the girls asked me today what the cutest thing you ever did was," she said.

Roy's eyes widened and his heart sped up. He swallowed his food before it was fully chewed, the descent of the material making a squishy yet rough sound, "And?"

"This is it," she said, "This is incredibly cute."

"That? But ... but it's just a stupid paperclip."

"Never underestimate the value of paperclips," Riza said.

"Ugh, you deserve better..." Roy muttered, and went back to eating, not bothering to savor the food. He made a mental a note never to skip lunch again.

"Sir, what exactly did you do at lunch?"

Roy grabbed the milk on the tray, opened the bottle, and drank half of it before sitting it back down. "Nothing," he said.

"Don't give me an answer like that. It must have been important to forget to eat. You know how you get when -"

"When is your birthday?" he questioned, interrupting her.

"What?" She was surprised at the sudden question.

"Your Birthday? When is it?"

"January 18...Why?"

"Did you know I didn't know your birthday? Didn't even know the month it was in."

"Yes I figured you didn't," she replied casually. She was beginning to worry about Roy's mental state even more now. He suddenly went from being hungry and not wanting to work, to being crazy over paperclips, to being cute, then going back to hungry and now he seemed a bit hostile with himself.

"Don't you care?" he snapped, turning his head toward her. He was angry that she was being so casual about his lack of knowledge concerning her.

"Wha...wait... you..."

"I went looking for you at the range and overheard the conversation you had with the other women."

"Oh, I see. So you felt bad because you didn't know my birthday?"

Roy nodded, a bit surprised that she wasn't angry that he'd eavesdropped.

Riza chuckled and ran a hand through his hair as he ate. "That's silly Roy."

"Any other woman would get mad," he muttered.

"Do you want me to get angry?"

Roy slammed his hand down next to the tray, the thump causing his milk bottle to wobble slightly. Thankfully, it stayed upright since there were many papers on his desk that the liquid inside could have ruined. He could feel the stinging in his hand from the slap, the pain most dominate in the middle, then radiating outward in tiny waves until it just tingled.

Riza's eyes widened at his gesture and she removed her hand from his hair. She wasn't used to seeing such a violent reaction from him, especially when it wasn't over some stupid mission or an issue with the higher ups. "What's wrong with you?"

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**1. Finger Sandwiches: Tiny sandwiches. Basically, make a sandwich and cut it into little rectangles. I put this in a story once and got tons of questions. That's why I'm putting the definition here. LOL**


	5. Even Paperclips

**The Value of Things Like Paperclips **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Part 5: Even Paperclips **

**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership whatsoever of Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no monetary profit from this fanfiction. I do own my plot so if I catch anyone copying it, regardless of fandom, I won't be a happy MSD. **

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**Even Paperclips**

Roy looked away, as if he didn't feel fit to set eyes on her. "Why is it always, always about what I want? Don't you ever think of yourself in the slightest?" His voice was full of anger, at her for putting focus on him: at himself for always taking her focus without a word of resistance. He turned back to look at her, resisting a smile upon seeing her beautiful face. "I'm your boyfriend, no, not only that. We've been together, around each other since we were children. I didn't know anything like your birthday, or any other special day you might find meaningful."

"But, I don't find my birthday meaningful or any other days particularly special other than…"

"Don't you dare say my birthday," he snapped.

Riza laughed and skipped that part of her reply; it had indeed been about his birthday.

"Seriously, you should just forget about me."

It was Riza's turn to get angry; she couldn't believe that he was being so hard on himself over such a trivial matter. . "Don't be so hard on yourself. I would have mentioned it if I had cared."

Roy sighed and tried to calm his nerves. "I should have known that you wouldn't give a damn. In fact, I think I did, it's just… it's just that I felt like a horrible man for not knowing something I should have known."

She smiled, "You are far from a horrible man Roy. Did you spend your entire lunch break trying to find out when my birthday was? You could have just looked in my personal record. "

Roy looked surprised at the question and shook his head. "No, that's not what I was doing. I tried to do some shopping in the main district." He cringed; he hadn't meant to tell Riza about that, it had just come out before he could think about his words.

"You! You went shopping?"

Roy frowned, "You don't have to say it like it's a shocking revelation."

"But it is shocking. You rarely shop and never on your own, and never in the main district. You always said it was too crowded."

"It was for something important."

"You didn't come back with anything though."

"Don't remind me. I failed."

"Failed? How do you fail shopping?"

Roy sighed, "I couldn't find you anything. I was going to go to the Xingese marketplace but-"

"Wait a minute, find me something?"

"Yeah, I was going to get you a gift. A really good one."

"You took the gift thing the girls said, seriously as well, didn't you?"

"Well…" he trailed off, lowering his focus to his tray and studying the pattern that was slowly peaking out between the sandwiches. He directed his gaze back to her when he heard her laugh.

"I made it clear it to them that it didn't bother me not to get any gifts," she said.

"Yeah, but by me not getting you anything I was afraid deep down you wouldn't think I cared for you. I never do anything nice for you."

"Are you insane? She held up the blue paperclip in her hand, "How about this?"

"That's nothing."

"You're wrong," she said. "You put your heart into this. You remembered how much I liked blue paperclips. I had no idea that you would remember that I had such a strange fondness for an item. You surprised me with this and that means so much. I would rather have something like this than anything you could buy me."

"Do you really mean that?" he questioned.

"Yes," she said, "I really mean that."

Roy grinned. "You'll probably never stop hearing from the girls about what a lousy boyfriend I am."

"Then I'll have to correct them the next time they bring up the gift issue. Maybe I'll tell them about the paperclip."

"Won't mean much to women like them," he said. "They put too much focus on what is purchased."

"They'll learn when they find a guy as great as mine," Riza said, standing up and grabbing the paperclip off the table.

Roy swiveled in his seat and grabbed her around the waist. He pulled her closer and rested his head against her stomach, causing her to smile. She ran her hand through his dark locks but paused when Roy spoke, "I love you."

"I love you too," she said.

It was times like that and words like the ones spoken that showed that there were more valuable things than what could be bought with money. There were things more valuable than silver, gold, jewelry, and yes, even paperclips.

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**AN: I thought for sure this part would be long but alas, no. Still it didn't feel right putting it with the previous chapter so here it is. Hope you all liked the story! By the way, please go to my profile to vote in a poll I made. It could possibly affect something I do writing wise.  
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